


Take Comfort

by likebunnies



Category: Sleepy Hollow (TV)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Male-Female Friendship, Partnership, Season/Series 03, Season/Series 03 Spoilers, Slow Burn, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-08
Updated: 2015-10-08
Packaged: 2018-04-25 10:56:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4957711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/likebunnies/pseuds/likebunnies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Abbie insists that while he's living with her, Crane is going to get comfortable.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take Comfort

**Author's Note:**

> I kind of got this idea from an X-Files challenge I saw on my Tumblr to write a story about clothing. And the picture of Crane washing windows in his normal clothing, including the boots. Then I fell to pieces writing this and lost the character voices completely. Especially Crane. Which is why he doesn't say much in this. :)

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

Crane had been living in Abbie's house for several weeks and she had yet to still see him completely relaxed. After a day at work and maybe plotting how to destroy a demon or two, Abbie loved nothing more than to come home and put on some comfortable clothes. She was always happy when it was time to take off her bra and put on a tank top with perhaps some yoga pants. Even jeans and a T-shirt were a nice change. After Crane had been there for a while, she didn't even always bother with putting a sports bra on under her top. She worked hard. She deserved to be comfortable in her own home on her nights off. 

He worked around the house, keeping everything neat and orderly. Crane would go as far as removing his coat and rolling up his sleeves but those boots stayed on. She had seen him without them before, the few times he had practiced yoga with her or that time she found him and his wife watching TV in the cabin. For the most part, though, he came out of his room fully dressed in the morning and went back in like that before bed. 

He had let his hair down a little, so to speak. If someone in the world had convinced him to cut his hair, Abbie knew she could convince him that he didn't have to be so formal at home in front of her. And he didn't need to wear his boots to wash the dishes. 

It might take some time, but she was going to make him get comfortable. 

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

The following Saturday morning, after his chores were finished, Abbie found him sitting in front of his laptop slaying some zombies and yelling into a microphone at what was surely a 15-year-old child. Winter was coming and house was a little chilly so he had on his full uniform... including the coat. She didn't want to totally shake him to his core so she didn't wander around in her skimpiest pajamas on sleep-in Saturdays but she had no plans to get out of her flannel pajama bottoms and a soft T-shirt. She was going to watch TV and relax. 

After another hour of the zombie massacre, Crane came and joined her, sitting with his back as straight as always in the armchair beside the couch. Abbie offered him the bag of the popcorn she had been munching on and he took a handful and stared at the TV. 

“Crane? You know this is your home, too, for however long you want to stay here, right?” Abbie asked. He turned his head toward her and nodded. “And you know you are allowed to have a casual day?”

“This is my 'casual' day. I could be wearing a hat,” he said and Abbie rolled her eyes at him.

“I'm going to get you some different clothes. The kind of clothing one sits around in when they watch TV all day,” she said, tossing a piece of popcorn at him. He picked it off his coat and ate it. 

“I will not wear skinny jeans.”

“I didn't say skinny jeans or any jeans yet for that matter. Even the outfit you wore for yoga would have to be more comfortable than that,” she said, pointing at his stiff clothing. Maybe the shirt was comfortable but the rest of it? Boots and stockings? No way. 

“I left that outfit and others like it at the cabin,” he said, nearly grimacing. Abbie wasn't surprised. If she bought it and he didn't like it, it remained in the cabin. Poor Joey. 

“I'm just saying you can relax a little. We'll take it slow. Start with the shoes,” she said. He gave her the eyebrow and then looked down at his boots as if they were his own children. “I'm not saying in the outside world but here. In Abbie and Ichabod land.”

“Oh, we're our own nation now?” 

“Yeah. You were around for the founding of two nations. Live with it. And I'm going to get you to admit that I'm right about some comfy clothes. Next weekend. You'll see,” she said as he shook his head and lobbed a piece of popcorn back at her. 

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

The following Saturday, Abbie found Crane sitting at his computer desk as usual. Actually, all was not as usual. Instead of his boots, he was wearing the pair of shearling-lined leather slippers she had bought for him during the week. He still had the rest of his outfit on, including the stockings, but there he was, without his boots, trying to save the world from a digital Armageddon. She pretended she didn't notice as she fixed some toast for breakfast and sat on the couch, turning on the news. 

She heard him yell at the computer shortly before he joined her on the couch, sitting down in a huff. Abbie curled her feet up under her and offered him some of the blanket she had been cuddling up under. He covered his lap with it and sighed. 

“Did you get the laundry started?” she asked. Abbie wasn't one to sleep in too late on the weekends but Crane was always up at precisely 7:15 a.m. no matter what day of the week it was. 

“Yes,” he answered with a nod. “I can vacuum now that you are awake.”

“Nah. It can wait. Just sit here and relax for a while. So tell me -- how do your feet feel?” Abbie asked, smiling her impish little grin at him. 

“If you have to know, my feet feel quite warm. Thank you, Lieutenant, for the gift of weekend footwear,” he said, picking his feet up from off the floor and looking at the slippers. 

“Just be glad I didn't get you a pair of Uggs. I thought about it,” Abbie said. She could tell Crane had no idea what she was talking about and he wasn't about to ask. 

“I'm quite satisfied with these,” he said, putting his feet back down, and she actually believed him. He wasn't doing this just to appease her for a day. 

“Next up, I'm going to get you out of those pants and into something even more comfortable than those slippers. Warmer, too,” she said, teasing him just to see what he'd do or say. She did get a raised eyebrow before he got up from the couch, straightening out his coat when he was standing. 

“I have to put the towels in the drying machine so you have your favorite one when it comes time to take your bath,” he said. Abbie did love her Saturday evening bubble bath. Maybe one day, she'd get him to relax enough to take one himself. Since he had moved in, he'd just take a quick shower once a day. For now she would just have to be happy he wasn't clomping around in those heavy boots while she was trying to catch up on some TV. 

Next weekend, it would be time to go all out with him. A cold front was coming through the Hudson Valley in the next few days and it was time for him to enjoy it in comfort. Or as much comfort as one could enjoy the first serious cold front of the season. Maybe they'd light a fire. And when that happened, everyone was going to be cozy. 

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

“You have to admit this is nice,” Abbie said. It was a cold, wet Saturday afternoon and she had convinced him to put on a pair of heather gray sweatpants and a black, long-sleeved thermal Henley. She also purchased several pairs of thermal underwear for him to wear to bed. She didn't want to spend all of her salary increase on this winter's heating bill. 

Abbie seriously could get used to watching him walk around in sweatpants. It wasn't usually her favorite thing on a guy but this... was okay. Especially since the ones she picked out rode low on his narrow hips and accented some other features she wasn't aware of until now. That was a lie. When they would do yoga, of course she noticed things but she wasn't supposed to be noticing those things on a married man who was her fellow Witness. Now that Katrina was gone and he was her roommate, she could gaze just a little longer. 

“This is not terrible,” Crane said, tugging the shirt down enough to make the view less interesting. He stood in the middle of the living room, with his slippers on his feet and a cup of tea in his hand, looking a little lost. Abbie had just stoked the fire and was going to read a book for a while. 

“Grab a book and read with me. Unless you have some more zombies to kill,” Abbie said, patting the couch next to her. He often sat with her on the couch now, which was a change from a few weeks ago when he'd only sit in the armchair. He was starting to relax in their home. 

“I'm not currently killing zombies. My comrades and I were killing an enormous hellspawn demon,” he said, picking up an ancient text from the end table, setting down his tea, and sitting beside her. 

“You just make sure that stays in the game,” Abbie said, scooching around so he would have enough room. He still liked to sit with his back perfectly straight and his feet flat on the floor, which kind of made it hard for her to stretch out no matter how little space she took up. “You mind if I put my feet up?” 

“I don't see why that would matter... oh,” he said, as Abbie put her feet on his lap and threw the plaid fleece blanket over both of them. With the fire roaring and now with the blanket, it was pleasantly warm in the room and she couldn't help but notice his face flush ever so slightly when she moved her feet around to get comfortable. They touched more lately, which couldn't be avoided since they lived together. She'd hand him a plate and his hand would brush hers. They'd be carrying in the groceries and would bump into each other. But something like this? This was different. 

“By the way, I have to work next weekend. You'll have to figure out what to do with yourself.”

“I'm sure I'll manage, Lieutenant,” he said. “Anything I should know about?”

“No, normal task force operation stuff. Just because I'm not here doesn't mean you can put on your regular clothing. Unless you go out – then you can,” she said, looking over her book at him. “It will still be a casual day. For you at least.” 

She hoped that one of these days when she came home from work, she'd find him dressed in something other than his 18th century clothing but it had yet to happen. She understood it, his need to hang on to what he had been. She certainly didn't want to strip Captain Crane away from him entirely. No, she had feelings for Captain Crane that she couldn't quite comprehend even after all this time. But her feelings for Ichabod Crane... she wasn't sure she could comprehend those yet, either. 

He held his book with one hand while his other hand went under the blanket. He rested it on her feet and she suddenly wished they were bare and that she didn't put on these fluffy socks earlier. Crane rubbed her feet gently as he continued to read. The room was silent except for the crackling of the fire. 

Maybe her feelings weren't as incomprehensible as she thought they were. 

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

Crane wasn't anywhere to be found when Abbie arrived home the following Saturday. She tried to dismiss that tug of disappointment she felt when walking into her house and finding out she was alone. He left a note on the kitchen counter that only told her he went out and that he would be home before it was too late. 

Abbie shed her work clothes and put on her bathrobe. She really could use her Saturday evening bath right about now. She went into the bathroom, starting filling the tub and added the bubbles. While tucking her hair up carefully under a shower cap, she stared at herself in the mirror and tried to figure out when it was that she started feeling so lonely when he wasn't around. 

When the tub was filled, she climbed in and sank into the hot water, covering herself with the bubbles. She let her hands slip over her body, remembering the last time she took a bath with a man. It had been nice. Very nice but it couldn't happen again. Did she even want it to? Her thoughts went from her current boss to her current roommate as her fingers slipped between her thighs. 

Abbie jerked her hand away quickly, splashing water over the side of the tub. They already lived together. Almost died together more times than she cared to remember. She cared for him deeply even if he was a pretentious ass most of the time. And in the end, she was too afraid to let him in for that last bit of comfort no matter how much she might want it. Afraid she'd lose him again. Afraid of getting too damn hurt. 

So she could play this little game of getting him to relax around her but she was too scared to do the same around him? 

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the knock on the bathroom door. There were parts of having a roommate that took a while to get used to. “Yeah, I'm taking a bath,” she called out. 

“I'm sorry to disturb you, Lieutenant. I just wanted to let you know I arrived home. I will see you in the morn,” he said. 

“No. Wait... Crane, you can come in. Talk to me,” Abbie said, piling more bubbles on to cover her breasts and pulling the shower curtain partially closed. He opened the door slowly and poked his head in. 

“Certain?”

“Yes, just get in here,” she said, hoping this wasn't more than his colonial manners could take. He entered the room and closed the door behind him to keep the warmth in. Trying hard to not look at her, he shut the lid to the toilet and sat down on it. He wasn't dressed casually at all and Abbie began to wonder exactly where he went and with whom. “Fun night out?”

“I went for a beer... with someone.” 

“A date?” she asked, trying to keep her voice level. This was going to happen sooner or later. Eventually he had to finally notice one of those silly girls who kept staring at him and remember that he is now single and free to do what he chooses. She never had to nerve to ask if he had met someone while he was in the UK. Maybe that was the reason he was gone so long. 

“I suppose you could call it that,” he said. 

She took a deep breath and calmly asked, “Who did you go out with?”

“An acquaintance... a woman I met recently. I do not believe we'll be going out again,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders. 

“Oh?”

“I realized at some point during dinner that I'd rather be here with you reading a book on the couch. I would rather be wearing those horrible sweatpants with you than be dressed like this with anyone else,” he said, his eyes meeting hers. Abbie didn't know what to say. She wanted to say get your ass into this tub with me right now but perhaps that was too relaxed. He stood before she could say anything anyway. “I will leave you to finish your bath.”

“Crane, wait. I mean, I'll be out in a minute. Change into something comfy and we can watch a little TV before bedtime,” she said. He smiled and nodded and left her alone in the bathroom, closing the door behind him. 

Abbie got out of the bath, dried herself off, did her bedtime skin routine and wrapped her hair. Crane had grown used to everything she did at night and she even found he liked to try out some of her hand lotions. She put on her pajamas and found him in the living room, stretched out on the couch and watching a sports anchor discuss college football highlights. 

He was wearing a pair of flannel pajama bottoms and a thermal long-sleeved shirt. He lifted up the blanket and invited her to sit with him. Somehow, she ended up sitting between his legs, the back of her head against his chest, as he flipped through the channels with the remote control, finally settling on some old black and white movie. 

“What plans do you have for my wardrobe for next weekend?” Crane asked. Abbie took his hand in hers and thought about it. 

“There's really not much else I can do until it gets warm again. Then I'll have to get you a comfortable summer wardrobe,” she joked, knowing he would never wear shorts and man sandals. “Or maybe I'll introduce you to the joys of a hot bubble bath on a chilly evening. And the comfort of warm flannel sheets.”

“A hot bath does sound nice as long as I can have plenty of bubbles,” Crane said, playing with her hand. His fingers wrapped around hers, squeezing gently. “But you don't own any flannel sheets that will fit my bed.”

“Who said anything about _your_ bed?” 

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

The End???

**Author's Note:**

> Maybe there will be more? How much more comfortable can they get?


End file.
